The Familiar Unleashed
by D'raekmus
Summary: For all intents and purposes, Galen died on the Death Star, but the Force needed him elsewhere. A young girl, with no magical ability, needed a divine familiar. Can Louise learn to control the former apprentice, or will she be overwhelmed by the Force? CHAPTERS 1&2 EDITED.
1. Chapter 1

"Do not wait too long to contact me," the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, commanded the young man in front of him: his secret apprentice, Galen "Starkiller" Marek.

The Sith shuddered, before vanishing away, leaving an exhausted PROXY to stumble off for a recharge.

His pilot, the blonde Juno Eclipse, stepped forward.

"Can you trust him?" she asked

"Vader won't risk my mission, even if he has doubts about me. Have we arrived?"

Juno nodded, walking towards the apprentice.

"We've reached Corellia. They're all here: Bail, and his allies. You have your Rebel Alliance."

She hesitated, looking down.

"Now… what are you going to do with it?"

Galen looked at her. He wasn't sure, either.

"Just trust me, ok?" he replied, "I'm doing the right thing… for both of us." His assurance was more for him than anyone else.

Juno relaxed as she walked off, to prepare for landing.

* * *

A young girl looked over the wreckage of the classroom, where moments ago, she had tried a basic alchemy spell.

As usual, it resulted in an explosion, completely destroying the classroom.

The girl fished a handkerchief out of her pocket, trying to nonchalantly wipe away the dirt from her face.

"What is the matter with you?" one of her classmates called out, a tanned, extremely gifted redhead.

"I guess I screwed up a little bit..." the girl replied apathetically.

"What part of this is 'a little'?" a blonde, chubby boy asked, nursing a darkening black eye.

"Your magical success rate to date has been zero!" another blonde boy accused.

"Louise the Zero!" another classmate shouted, as the girl, Louise, pretended to continue wiping her face without a care.

Underneath her facade, Louise wanted to cry at the failure. Nothing ever went right…

* * *

"We agree the time for diplomacy and politics is past," Senator Bail Organa said to the small group of people around the table.

"It is now time for action. If you are willing to lead us," he looked at Galen, "then we will join your alliance."

"As will I!" General Rahm Kota added, stepping out of the shadows, joining the group with the poise and grace of a full Jedi Knight.

Galen smirked.

"I thought you were passed out in the cargo hold," he whispered.

Kota chuckled, "I finally came to."

"It is settled then," Bail continued, "My wealth will fund the Rebellion, while Garm provides our fleet, and Mon Mothma our soldiers. And, with you leading us, we have the power of the Force on our side," he nodded towards the two Jedi.

"Then let this be an official declaration of Rebellion!" he pounded the table, "Today, we all vow to change the galaxy! And one day, the galaxy will indeed be free."

As soon as he concluded his speech, multiple explosions rocked the hall, as Galen looked up to the sky in horror.

Swarms of TIE fighters and Star Destroyers blackened the sky.

"No..." was all he could say, realizing his betrayal.

* * *

Louise calmly descended the stairs from the headmaster's office, as three of her classmates gathered on the staircase, eagerly awaiting her punishment.

"So, what's the story?" the redhead snootily asked, "Another trip to the detention room, or are they finally expelling you?" she smiled mockingly, "Just kidding!" as both she and the blonde girl with them both broke out in laughter.

"They decided not to punish me..." Louise said in a monotone voice, causing both the redhead and blonde to turn in shock.

"What?"

"They said it was partially the teacher's fault for making me do it, even after all the students in the class tried to stop her."

Both girls remained silent, before breaking out into fits of giggles, infuriating Louise, though she hid her emotions well.

"I'm just having a bad day, that's all..." she defended.

"Yeah, well you're always having a bad day, aren't you?" the redhead replied. "You can't even get a real code name, Louise the Zero!"

"Why don't you be quiet!" Louise shouted back, her anger flaring through her façade.

"Tomorrow should be fun. I can't wait to see what kind of familiar you manage to summon," the redhead scorned.

Louise huffed, glaring at both girls.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm confident in one spell, the summoning spell: Summon Servant! Just you watch, I'll conjure up a familiar that's divine, and beautiful, and powerful, and it'll be better than anything any of you can cook up and THEN we'll see who's laughing!" she shouted, walking off in a cloud of fury.

Both girls continued to stare at Louise's retreating form, before turning to the third girl, a blue-haired young lady with half-moon spectacles carrying a staff and readying a book.

"So, what do you think, Tabitha?" the redhead asked.

Tabitha only shrugged in response.

* * *

Galen heaved as Juno helped him into a chair.

He clutched his head. How could he have been so stupid?

"They're gone… Vader took them all…" he gasped, "to the Emperor."

Juno bit her lip in confusion.

"I don't understand, then why would Vader let us attack so many Imperial targets?" she asked

"To sell the deception!" Galen replied in frustration, "Credits, starships, Imperial lives, they're all meaningless to Vader. Vader needed me to find the Emperor's enemies no matter the cost, and I did _exactly_ what he wanted me to do!" he pounded his fist against the console.

"Yes… _we_ did." Juno replied, sitting down in front of the apprentice. "But now the fate of this alliance rests only with you."

Galen looked up, directly into Juno's eyes. It was clear now, what they both needed to do.

"We're going after Vader. And the Rebels."

* * *

Louise stood in the center of a group of students. Today was the summoning ritual for their familiars. This was the day that would determine a mage's entire life.

This was the day she hoped she didn't screw up.

"Louise the Zero," a student mocked.

"What do you suppose she'll summon?" another wondered.

"There's no way she can summon anything. We'll just have another explosion and nothing else!" a third student commented.

The redhead cuddled her salamander lovingly.

"With all the boasting, you should be able to summon up something even more amazing than this," she teased, stroking her salamander.

"Well, of course!" Louise retorted haughtily, tightening the grip on her wand.

 _Don't screw up…_

"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe..." she began.

* * *

"Go... Hurry!"

Purple sparks flew about, frying everything they touched.

"Protect the Senators!"

The sparks became more intense, concentrating between two points: The Emperor and Galen.

The former Sith could only watch as the Stormtroopers ran by, firing at the fleeing Rebels. He could do nothing but try to stave off the Emperor's attack.

That's when he felt it: the final act to atone for his actions.

Galen took one final breath, concentrating with all his might upon the vast amount of power flowing into him. He gave out one last shout, and opened himself fully to the Force.

The explosion was blinding, killing all the stormtroopers nearby and throwing both the injured Vader and Emperor away.

At the epicenter of the blast was nothing but a blackened crater. Not even the Force resonated with the area.

It was as if the spot was… torn away.

* * *

"Answer my guidance and appear!" Louise finished, bringing her wand down.

For a moment, nothing happened. As the students began to relax, an unholy cry could be heard: muffled at first, but quickly grew to be a shout with the strength and intensity of a storm.

The explosion was a blinding white light, as the blast blew students away -literally.

Louise coughed as she looked at the center of the blast. This wasn't like her regular explosions; it was much too large to have been caused by her magic alone. Then there was the crater. That had never happened before.

The noble blinked, waving the smoke away from her face. She was certain this was no ordinary accident.

Cautiously, Louise entered the hole, her ill-suited shoes slipping on charred ground. In the center laid a man, garbed in a strange black clothing with a white hooded vest. His hair was trimmed close to the scalp, so the color was indiscernible.

Louise stared in disbelief as it dawned on her that this was _her_ summoned servant. Her teacher slid down the hole and, with a wave of his staff, pulled the three of them to the surface.

The girl continued to stare in disbelief at the man as his body remained still, like a corpse.

 _She_ summoned him. But who was he?

* * *

Galen blinked, as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight of the room.

 _No... not a room..._

He turned his head ever so slightly, now aware that he was resting on a grassy knoll.

He was alive. Sure, his body felt like he had just flew through the Maw, but he was _alive_!

"You, peasant. Where do you come from?" a young strawberry-blonde girl demanded simply.

Galen shook his head, trying to remember how he wound up here. He was fighting the Emperor, then there was a strange green explosion…

 _The Emperor!_

"The senators... did they make it?" he asked aloud.

The woman stared, frightened, before turning to a balding man nearby, her face a mixture of confusion and despair.

"Mr. Colbert, can I try the summoning again? This familiar's a babbling commoner!"

The man shook his head. Galen noticed that, while he seemed to be dressed in odd robes, the Jedi could feel a strange power deep within him. Not quite the Force… but similar?

"I cannot allow that. The familiar summoning is a sacred ritual. Trying a second time would be a blasphemy to the Founder himself. Now, continue the ritual."

"But..." the woman replied, as the man continued, this time, with a sterner edge to his voice.

"Finish the ritual, or I'll be forced to expel you."

The woman hung her head glumly, before approaching Galen, who backed away in response.

"Ritual?" he asked, as Louise kneeled down to his sitting form. Galen's only experience with rituals involved ancient Sith techniques. Yet, he couldn't pick up any dark intent from the girl. Sure, she was angry and filled with self-loathing, but she wasn't even tapping into those emotions. Instead, they burned inside the girl like magma, just waiting to be unleashed.

And there was something else… He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about this girl. She was _different_ than her peers. It was as though a mark sat upon her head. Yet, Galen couldn't discern what made her so different.

The Jedi noticed that several other individuals her age snickered as she continued her advance.

 _I could always Push her away..._ he thought, but something held him back. For a brief second, Galen thought he saw a completely different face on her: one who was kind below her sullen, cold demeanor. Someone who felt trapped. This was enough to keep him from retaliating.

"You should be thankful for this." she whispered, causing Galen to blink.

"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere," she began, closing the distance between their faces, closing her eyes. "Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, bless this humble being and bind it as my familiar," she finished and, before he even had a chance to react, locked her lips with Galen's.

The Jedi shook in surprise, startled at the bold move. Just as abruptly as the girl, this Louise, had kissed him, she pulled away, her face colored with unwilling resignation.

"Wha..." was all he could get out, as he felt pain, agonizing pain, coursing through his body. It was like being blasted by the Emperor, only this power... it was like the entirety of the Force itself, not just Dark Side hatred. His hands quaked as his left hand in particular began to glow, runes burning into the flesh, shining through the black gauntlets.

"What... Did you do... to me?" he growled, stepping forward, the ground itself quivering under his rage. He struggled against the pain, wanting to know what was happening. He reached towards the woman, Louise, now ready to pummel some answers from her, regardless of what she looked like.

Just as he grabbed at her cloak in fury, everything went black.

* * *

"Am I going to see you again?" a blonde woman, wearing a black pilot's uniform, asked Galen, as the two hovered in the _Rogue Shadow_ above the massive battle station.

"If I can free the rebels, they're going to need extraction," he coldly replied, before adding, "No, probably not."

"Then I'll never need to live this down," she replied, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

As Galen pulled away from the embrace, he opened his eyes, and gasped.

It was a younger girl in the pilot's uniform, with strawberry-blonde hair and rose-colored eyes.

* * *

Galen gasped, as he shot up from where he was laying. As his eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings, the Jedi realized that he was sitting inside a small room. Nothing spoke of technology. Although, outside of the old hut on Kashyyyk, he didn't know what to expect in an "ordinary" house.

But, the lack of any datapads, or any kind of refined material for that matter, was unsettling.

"So, you finally decided to wake up," the strawberry-blonde said, her arms crossed. Galen now noted the clothing she wore: a simple black cloak over a button-down shirt and skirt. Socks extended up mid-thigh. Her body language exuded displeasure about the presence of the Jedi.

"I've thought about it long enough to get an ulcer, but I've given up. I'm going to have you as my familiar."

Galen frowned.

"Familiar?" he asked, as the woman ignored him, walking over to a nearby armoire, and dropped her skirt.

Galen stared in confusion for a minute, then realized with shock what was going on. While he may not have received any information from Vader about it, PROXY was kind enough to give him information about the decency of human genders, namely so Galen could blend into a crowd, unseen. The one time he accidentally dove into a woman's refresher for cover… it wasn't pleasant.

He turned towards the wall, not wishing to know what a person like that looked underneath. The way she disregarded his presence was disturbing. He shook his head.

 _She may appear cold, but her actions are nowhere near as bad as Vader... yet._

The Jedi was pulled out of his trance as he felt cloth hitting the back of his head. He reached up, and pulled them off, noticing the black and white coloration.

 _Her clothes..._ he thought, turning as she began to speak.

"Wash those, then iron them. You're a familiar, so you should be able to understand that."

Galen turned towards the woman, slightly annoyed at the tone she was using, like she didn't want him here.

"Excuse me?" he said, just a hint of an edge in his voice.

The woman's rose eyes twitched.

"Wash my clothes and iron them, familiar." she said.

Galen gritted his teeth, using a meditative breath to dissipate his building anger. In his days serving Vader, this problem would have been so easy to solve. Just one move to collapse her windpipe. Maybe crush the heart, and it would all be over.

Yet, this wasn't _his_ way. Not anymore.

"First of all, I have a name. You can call me Galen Marek," he replied, concealing his anger under an apathetic tone. He chose to use his real name. There was no use in hiding behind his past anymore. Plus, it would give him a chance to lay low for a while, to kind of see the galaxy from a peaceful side, one that doesn't involve killing anything in the way.

"Galen Marek? What a ridiculous name." she replied, tossing a pair of undergarments onto the Jedi, who carefully placed them as far away as possible.

"Tell that to the thousands of stormtroopers, countless Jedi, and Sith Lords I've defeated," he said casually, turning towards the woman as he sat the clothes down on a nearby table. While it was a risk to brag about such a feat, Galen needed to test the waters, to see what kind of world this was. More importantly, he needed to size up Louise. Would she be a hindrance?

"Now, tell me: How did I wind up here? The last thing I remember was holding off the Emperor and Vader aboard a... Death Star."

"I summoned you here, of course!" she replied, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. The noble frowned. "And what emperor? Who's Vader? And what's a Death Star?" she demanded, before shaking her head. "You're talking nonsense, and I don't feel like dealing with it right now," she muttered sleepily, as she drifted towards the bed.

"We can talk more in the morning. Just wash those, and get them ready for tomorrow." she muttered, as Galen shook his head. As much as he would like to toss this simple chore out the window, he wondered if it would be better to just let things be for now, and see what happens. After all, Louise had the advantage here: she knew this world; he didn't. Until he knew what he was going up against here, the Jedi didn't wish to cause a major scene. Sure, he had fought against the armies of the Empire, but if there were others as powerful as that man instructing Louise…

 _Colbert…_

Galen frowned. That was the name of that man. He brushed the insight aside, deciding to focus on the washing of this girl's clothes. At the very least, it would allow him to explore this strange place, as well as get his mind off what happened.

Galen knew that, being trained as a warrior, he did his best thinking while physically exerting himself, be it fighting PROXY, training with other drones, or even breaking through the Imperial defenses of Kashyyyk.

 _Besides, I need some time to meditate._

* * *

A/N: Hello, everyone. This is another fic I've had rolling for a while, and I thought I'd try it out.

Yes, it's much like my other fic, _Genius of Zero_ , where I'm simply replacing Saito with another character.

I'm trying this out to see if it's an interesting idea. I thought giving Louise Starkiller would make for an interesting twist. I realize that most FoZ fanfics are about giving her a powerful familiar, so this one may not be as interesting.

But what if her familiar is even more dangerous than her? We're talking about a guy who has physically torn ships out of the sky, slaughtered waaaay too many people to keep track, AND has taken down creatures Louise can only dream of!

But, I think it will be interesting to see what Galen thinks of Louise's "punishments". We're talking about a guy who sealed himself off without food or water, upside down, until he could construct his lightsaber with nothing but the Force.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy this. I don't know how often I will update this, since I don't have a lot of plot figured out, and I need to play through _Unleashed_ again.

EDIT: Updated to clarify why Galen's going along with playing the familiar for now. Added in other details, too.


	2. Chapter 2

Galen stared at the pile of laundry in front of him. On board the _Executor_ , the Jedi never had to clean any clothing from his missions. Normally, they were incinerated once they surpassed their use. Such was the way of the Sith.

So, here he sat in the courtyard for the past two hours, staring at the water, washboard, and basin. He fought against the Sith, the Jedi, and the limitless armies of the Empire. He could fight against overwhelming odds with only a lightsaber, produce lightning from his hands, and even move objects with his mind. Hell, he even ripped a Star Destroyer out of the sky using only the Force.

Yet washing clothes… was a skill he unfortunately lacked.

Galen put the garments in the basin, filling it with cold water. That seemed right. But now what?

The Jedi awkwardly lifted the washboard. He tried to reach out with the Force to understand its use. After all, some Force-sensitives could use a technique known as Psychometry to see into an object's past and determine its use.

To Galen's dismay, he didn't have this ability.

He grumbled in frustration, putting the board in the basin. That looked to be right… right?

Galen growled as the basin sat there, doing nothing. Maybe it needed a little… encouragement. After all, the ancient Sith created weapons able to tap into the Force with no physically apparent machinery. Could this thing work the same way?

He balled up his right fist, concentrating the Force into it, as electricity crackled across his fingers.

 _Just a little bit of power should make this work…_ he hoped as he extended one finger, causing a single arc to fly across into the water.

* * *

When Galen regained consciousness, he saw, to his surprise, that where the basin had sat, was now a small, charred crater.

 _What kind of world doesn't use droids for this kind of work?_ he mentally grumbled, as he collected the bits of scorched fabric as best he could.

As near as the Jedi could figure, he hadn't reduced his power far enough, and had inadvertently blasted the entire basin with Force Lightning.

In hindsight, subtlety wasn't his strong point.

This Louise wasn't Vader, so maybe she won't be so angry over what happened. Or, at least, she couldn't harm him in the same way Vader did.

The Jedi returned to Louise's room and shoved the wreckage under her bed as he sat down in the corner, closing his eyes.

Since meditating while washing the clothes was out of the question, he would have to make do with the corner Louise had denoted as "his", judging from the straw spread out as a makeshift bed.

Overall, it was not the worst place Galen had slept. A little cold, but manageable. He closed his eyes, thinking about what Louise had said earlier.

Judging from her ignorance on Vader and the Empire, this… Halkeginia must be a world beyond their control.

To have traveled so far through space… Did the Force bring him here for a reason? Shouldn't he have died?

Well, his eventual goal would be to find a starport. Galen hoped that, by hopping on a freighter, he'd be able to find and rejoin his rebel allies. They'd need a leader...

For now, though, it would be best to lie low, pretend to be this girl's familiar. He needed more information about this world. While the other people he saw didn't look too threatening, there was that feeling of power each one emanated. He didn't know what kind of opponents he was against here. If they were normal civilians, he could dispatch them easily, but something told the Jedi that there were more than they appeared.

Besides, Galen knew whatever abuse this role could throw at him couldn't be worse than Vader. Sure, Louise had a lot of pent-up anger and hatred building up within her small frame, but Galen knew she lacked the intensity his former master possessed.

Having made his mind on the current situation, Galen thought over the incident involving the basin, before shaking his head.

He would tell her about that… in his own time. While he had already concluded that Louise wasn't as dangerous as Vader, he didn't want to test the limits of her patience. Saying you accidentally incinerated her clothes would likely cause that anger to be vented on him.

So, Galen concluded, ignorance is bliss. For now.

* * *

"Good morning, my master..." Galen began, opening the curtains, letting a stream of light into the room, as the strawberry-blonde girl groggily rolled over in confusion. The Jedi knew enough of familiars from other cultures to know it was a type of master-servant relationship. Naturally, he went with the behaviors that worked with Vader, but they were altered to be applicable for this girl. Waking up his 'master' was one of the duties of a familiar, after all.

If that didn't work, well… there was always Force Lightning.

"Wha-?" she groaned, holding her hand up to block the light. "Who are you?"

"Forgot about me already?" Galen replied, as he tugged the blankets off the noble girl. While he would have preferred to use the Force, he didn't want to accidentally rip the whole bed away. Besides, the girl would be shocked if he did that. This world probably never even heard about Jedi, much less the Force. He wisely decided that scaring his 'master' wouldn't be a good idea… for now.

"You summoned me yesterday, don't you remember?" he explained, concealing his annoyance at her cavalier manner.

Louise blinked several times, as her mind processed this information. Then, as if a light turned on, her eyes widened in comprehension.

"Oh, the familiar… the peasant I summoned..." she muttered, standing up, moving to the basin and washing her face.

Galen leaned against the wall, patiently waiting for the brat to finish. When she did, Louise stood in the center of the room, staring at him expectantly.

"What?" he asked coarsely.

"Dress me!" she replied.

Galen almost fell over laughing. The idea that he, who had fought against armies this girl couldn't imagine, was little more than a dresser for her amused the Jedi.

Then he realized that she was serious.

"I don't know how your clothes go on, so dress yourself!" he replied, stepping towards the window, overlooking the academy.

This place was old, built entirely out of stone. It wasn't the precision-cut architecture like the Jedi Temple, or the Sith fortresses he had explored. Rather, it was roughly-hewn at some points, but unnaturally smooth at others, almost like it was made out of something similar to plasma cutters but not quite.

"The nobility never dress themselves! That's what they have servants for!" Louise angrily replied. Galen felt her flaring anger and frustration, but felt something… off about her, as if her fury was concealing something deeper. It was just like he felt when they first met. Something insider her was raging, trapped, much like a Gundark in a cage. It yearned for freedom, but couldn't break out of its prison.

"You mean..." he replied, turning to face Louise. "You've never bothered to dress yourself? What are you, a Hutt in a human body?"

Louise stared coldly at Galen, who was disturbingly unfazed by her glare. Unable to intimidate him, the noble elected to change her approach.

"I guess you won't be needing to eat, then..." she said carelessly.

Galen stared at the clothes for several minutes. Food wasn't much of a concern. If need be, the Jedi could steal something edible from any number of civilians. But if he was staying to gather information, Galen knew he would need to fully commit to playing his role. Even if it meant catering to the whims of this brat.

"Fine, get over here," he replied, grabbing the skirt and, recalling how she was dressed the previous day, managed to figure out where everything went.

Louise smiled.

"That's better. Now," she said, grabbing her wand, "let's go down to breakfast."

Galen merely rolled his eyes. If she knew what he was really trained to do… But no, not now…

* * *

The sheer decadence and ornate designs of the dining hall intrigued Galen, as he and Louise walked past pile after pile of food. Outside of Imperial festivals and all-you-can-eat diners, the Jedi had never seen such a high concentration of food. Not even the gluttonous Hutts had this much edibles laying around their palaces. Just how much did these people eat?

"Is there some kind of special occasion today?" Galen inquired, as Louise stood expectantly at a nearby chair.

"Would you hurry up and pull the chair back? You really are inconsiderate!" she grumbled.

Frowning, Galen complied with the little brat's wishes. He hoped that a starport was very close. The Jedi wasn't sure how long he could keep up this act.

He went to sit down near Louise, when he suddenly detected a tinge of anger mixed with embarrassment emanate from her, coupled with poorly-concealed laughter from the other students gathered.

He looked at the girl, only to see her grumpily indicating a plate on the floor.

"Only nobles are allowed to eat at this table. You, peasant, eat down there," she ordered.

At first, Galen wished to object, that this was poor treatment for anyone. But… an idea crossed his mind. Concealing a smirk, the Jedi sat down on the floor. He subtly reached his hand out and, using the Force, probed Louise's chair for weak points.

Finding a sufficient joint, Galen poured the Force into it, making sure not to overdo it like he did with the wash basin…

CRACK!

Louise's chair collapsed, dumping herself onto the floor next to Galen. He tried his best to look surprised at the noble.

"I guess we're both eating on the floor," he remarked humorously.

The noble shook dusted herself off.

"S-shut up!" she hissed, and picked another chair, a bit more cautiously this time.

While she kept her haughty demeanor, Galen could feel that the incident nettled her. It wasn't much, but if he could get back at her from time to time by doing such tricks with the Force, then maybe this familiar role wouldn't be too bad after all…

As student snickered at her, Galen suddenly felt Louise's emotions change drastically. He could sense that she was on the verge of tears, as though this mocking were just the latest in a series of humiliations for this girl.

* * *

"Normally, the familiars wait outside during meals until their masters are finished," Louise explained sullenly, as both she and Galen left the dining hall. "I made a special exception and let you stay."

"That's, uh, kind of you, but I'll just eat outside from now on," Galen replied. While the food was a nice change from ration packs, the bread was still pretty lousy and unsatisfying. He promised himself that, the first thing he'd do after getting off this backwards rock, would be to hit up the closest restaurant for some real food.

Louise glowered at her familiar's behavior, as they approached an array of tables and chairs sitting in the sun.

"What's going on?" he asked, as Louise followed his glance.

"Second year students have the day off today. We're supposed to communicate with the freshly-summoned familiars."

The Jedi grimaced.

"Well, we're already talking, so, unless you want my life story, let's just skip this."

"Oh?" a velvety, feminine voice replied, as Galen turned, facing a giant red lizard-like creature with a flaming tail. To the Jedi, it bore some resemblance to a Dune Lizard, minus the sail on its back.

He furrowed his brow, bending his knees into a defensive posture.

"What is that?" he asked, as flames wreathed the creature's mouth. If this… thing tried to attack either he or Louise, he wanted to be ready to throw that beast into orbit.

The woman, with tanned skin and fiery red hair and a very… top heavy demeanor, smiled. "Is this the first time you've seen a Salamander?"

"Whatever it is, you should keep an eye on it. I don't want to hurt it," Galen replied, trying to phrase his words in a way that didn't sound like he'd kill it in creatively brutal ways. At least it wasn't a rancor…

"It's perfectly safe," the woman replied, "Under the contract, familiars faithfully obey every order from the master. Right, Flame?" she cooed to her salamander, which wagged its tail happily in response.

Louise gritted her teeth, as Galen sensed her anger flaring up.

"Why don't you just shut up!" she snapped, as the woman drew herself to full height. Galen noted that her… assets were almost the same size as Louise's head. How could she manage such… excessive physical presence?

Galen looked at Louise. Her petite body and flat physique made her perfect for fights. Her compact frame meant it would be easy to keep her balance, and erratic momentum wouldn't be as much of a problem. Plus, her lack of curves gave her a perfect way to appear plain and fade into any crowd… if it weren't for her pink hair.

Overall, Galen concluded that, if Louise was trained as an assassin, she'd easily be one of the most dangerous opponents he would face.

"You know, I think you just grabbed some peasant that was nearby and pretended to summon him. You covered up your lie well with that explosion."

Louise stamped her foot furiously, bringing Galen out of his thoughts.

"That's not true! I did a proper summons! It just happened that he showed up!" she pointed to Galen.

Ok, this woman was starting to annoy him. She was stirring up Louise's anger, which the noble was directing towards him.

"What Louise says is true," he interjected, "I come from beyond this world of yours. If you have a star map, I can show you the exact coordinates."

Both ladies stared at the Jedi.

"What's a… star map?"

Galen balked as the woman laughed.

"Your familiar's talking nonsense. He's a perfect match for Louise the Zero!" she said as she walked away, her familiar in tow.

Louise's anger boiled over as she growled at the woman leaving. She quickly turned to Galen, screaming, "Don't just stand there! Bring me tea!"

Wincing at the strength of her fury, the Jedi quickly moved to find some of the drink for her.

As he walked, Galen reflected on this turn of events.

Nobody knew what a star map was. There was no Empire, no Vader, and no sign of technology like the rest of the galaxy.

Either this was some kind of crazy technology-hating cult, or this entire planet was new.

The Unknown Regions were largely unexplored regions of space, so maybe he's stuck on one of those odd worlds, untouched by the larger galaxy. Either way, he was definitely trapped here for the time being.

He then pondered Louise's emotions.

This fury he felt, while as hot as Vader's, lacked the controlled, distant malice of his former master, nor was it like the cold, merciless wrath of the Emperor. Rather, this felt more unfocused, insecure…

Galen recalled Vader's lesson on Dugs: at their core was knots of unfocused rage. It wasn't centered in a drive of hatred like a Sith's, but rather in insecurity. They were valueless, and they knew it. Because of this, they were quick to pick a fight, but in the long run, they would always be defeated.

The Jedi also mulled over Louise's title by that strange woman: Louise the Zero. Zero held no value… Since her anger was based on insecurity, then the source of her wrath was that she viewed herself as having no value, hence the "Zero".

That does explain the trapped feeling inside her…

A gasp of surprise broke Galen's train of thought as he ran right into a girl with dark hair and wore some kind of garb that the Jedi deduced was a servant's dress, judging from the drab colors and different design than that worn by the others here.

Plus, she was holding a now-empty plate.

"I'm sorry..." the girl meekly replied as she bent over to retrieve the cake on the ground. Galen moved quickly and retrieved it before she could. He did briefly use the Force to pull the slice towards him, but he exerted so little of it that it escaped the girl's notice.

"It's my fault," Galen assured the girl, placing the cake back upon its plate. "I should have watched where I was going."

That was something that puzzled the Jedi. By all rights, he should have sensed the servant's movements. Yet, he didn't sense her walking by. He reached out with the Force, and felt that she did indeed have a presence in it, so he should have sensed her location. So why couldn't he…

"Um, would you happen to be the one summoned by Miss Valliere and became her familiar?"

Galen nodded. That was the second time this girl had interrupted his thoughts.

"I take it you've heard of me?" he asked, hoping that maybe, just maybe… there was an Imperial presence here. That would mean there's a starport somewhere.

"Are you kidding?" she replied excitedly, "that's all anyone's talking about: a peasant getting summoned as a familiar."

The Jedi concealed his disappointment. So much for the Empire.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I can find a starport to get off this planet, would you?" he asked. Since his other hopes were dashed, Galen figured he might as well go for broke.

The girl stared blankly before shaking her head.

"No, the only port in Tristain is La Rochelle, but that only flies to the continent of Albion."

Galen sighed. This place hadn't even heard of interstellar travel. There's no way off this planet, then. But that also meant that they had not yet been discovered by the Empire. The fact they had flying ships meant there was some kind of repulsorlift here, so maybe…

"What can you tell me about these nobles and peasants?" he asked, as the girl handed cakes out to the various nobles sitting in chairs. This could be his chance to learn about his new surroundings. The more he knew, the sooner he could ditch Louise.

"It's simple, really: Those who can use magic are nobility, and those who can't are just peasants," she explained.

"Magic, huh?" Galen wondered, as he reached out with the Force. He could feel the varying strengths of each noble: some felt as strong and unyielding as stone, others felt as relaxing yet flexible as water, a few seemed to be as quick and forceful as the wind, the rest were as hot and passionate as fire itself.

Yet there was one that felt… different. It had the Force, yet didn't have any of the elemental traits associated with it. It was almost like this person was void of this world's magic.

The Jedi let himself slip back to his body, and looked at the girl. She didn't feel like this last person.

"So, I take it you're a peasant?" he concluded.

The girl nodded, "My name is Siesta, and I have the honor and privilege of serving the nobility here."

Her face seemed to light up. "You're a peasant, just like me!"

Galen smirked. She was going to be so disappointed when she found out what he could do. Although, he didn't have a fancy title like most nobles, so she was partially right.

"I'm Galen Marek."

"Galen… Marek?" Siesta replied, fumbling with the unusual syllables, "You know, that's a very strange name."

"Would you rather call me Starkiller?" he asked, watching in amusement at the maid's reaction to his codename.

"Galen it is, then!" Siesta replied, as the both of them laughed.

"Hey!" a blonde boy shouted, with what looked like a giant mole sitting on his lap. "Aren't you going to bring me my cake?"

"Oh, coming right up!" Siesta replied meekly, as she began to bring the man his dessert. Galen noticed that the boy's presence felt gilded, as if his golden exterior hid a weak core. The Jedi noticed that, while his attention was focused on the blonde in front of him, a small portion of him was nervously looking out for someone, as if paranoid of being seen.

He noted the rose the blonde carried around. It appeared to have been specially treated and preserved to keep its luster.

As Siesta moved away, Galen felt another presence enter the courtyard. This one was younger, more eager about the world. She carried some kind of baked good the Jedi couldn't identify in her hands.

The girl looked around in confusion, as she wandered around asking about a "Lord Guiche".

Immediately, Galen felt the blonde boy's fear flare up, as he and the blonde girl he was with began to move towards the exit.

It didn't take a tactical genius to put two and two together. Whatever interest this girl had in this Guiche, he was trying to avoid it.

The Jedi smiled darkly. If he was going to be stuck on this godforsaken rock, then by the Nine Corellian Hells, he would need to entertain himself!

"Excuse me," Galen called to the girl, "but does this Lord Guiche have blonde hair and carry a rose?" he asked. He had to hold back his laughter as the girl furiously nodded.

"Then, he's right over there," he replied, pointing over to the blonde couple.

It was time to sit back and watch the fireworks.

* * *

"Oh, uh, Katie..."

"I've been looking for you, Lord Guiche! I even brought my homemade souffle!"

"Oh! Well..."

"Guiche! What is the meaning of this?"

"This is just a misunderstanding..."

"So there really is something going on with this first year girl!"

"Please, Montmorency,"

"Oh, how could you! You told me I was the only one!"

"I can explain..."

 **SLAP**

* * *

Even Galen winced at the force behind that slap. A nasty red weld marred Guiche's face as he glared at the Jedi.

"It seems that you," he began picking himself up off the grass, "Do not know how to pay the proper respects to nobility."

Galen shrugged.

"The only nobility I respect are far stronger than you. And I've beaten them." He neglected to mention that those nobles were Sith Lords, but, hey, they wouldn't understand anyway.

Guiche smirked as his arrogance swelled.

"Then I challenge you to a duel!"

Galen cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"A duel? You've got to be kidding..." The last thing the Jedi wanted was to hurt someone. If he went too hard against this kid, well… they'd be picking up his pieces across their academy.

"That's right, a duel! You are nothing but a peasant, and a mere familiar to boot! Yet, you have mocked me, and have made two noble ladies cry, you cad!"

Galen gritted his teeth. This kid needed to be publicly humiliated. He didn't seem as durable as Vader or the Emperor… This was going to be tricky…

"Name the time and place."

* * *

So, I updated this. The truth was that I had a hard time coming up with how to keep Galen powerful without him basically being… too powerful. Let's face it, Galen could have crushed Guiche right then and there. But that's too boring and predictable.

Additionally, I didn't really have much of an opportunity to dedicate time to write this, which is why it took so long.

I still don't have much story figured out for the next few chapters, but I've got like 80 pages of notes on concepts for the future past the first story arc. In particular, things are going to change during Tristain's war against Albion. But enough of that for now.

I would like to shout out to Arcane37, who helped me get back on track with this story. Now, I'm not sure when I will be able to get the next chapter up, but it WON'T be soon, but it also WON'T be a year from now. It'll be sometime in between.

In the meantime, feel free to come up with your own ideas and speculation where I'm going with this. I really want to surprise everyone with where I'm going.

EDIT: Updated details here and there, and added a scene where Galen gets back at Louise. Childish, probably. Worth it? Yes!


	3. Chapter 3

Louise stared in disbelief. Not only had Guiche challenged her familiar, but that idiot actually _accepted_ it.

Her anger flared up as she glared at Galen. He shuddered, before looking in Louise's direction.

"I can't even leave you for five minutes before you start causing trouble! Idiot!" she barked, snatching the Jedi's hand as she started marching towards Guiche.

"If you apologize right now, I'm certain that Guiche will call off the duel!"

However, the petite noble found her familiar refusing to move.

"No." he said as he gruffly, yet gently, relinquished Louise's grip.

"You don't understand anything, do you?" she lectured. "Peasants never win against nobility! You'll be lucky if you get away with a few minor wounds! Just put aside your pride and apologize!"

Galen stared at the girl, before shaking his head.

"There are things you don't understand. I'm not doing this out of pride or a sense of justice. The kid needs his ego deflated. I just don't want to hurt him..."

Louise was about to yell at him for being stupid when she noticed a strange expression on his face: it wasn't boastfully arrogant like the other nobles at the academy. Galen looked genuinely concerned about harming Guiche.

"Let me ask you, Louise: there's no way off this planet, correct?"

Louise nodded.

Galen sighed, before asking his next question.

"Which means that there's no Galactic Empire present?"

Again, the girl nodded.

"Then that… simplifies things," he beckoned to Louise.

"Come on, there's something I need to show you."

* * *

Galen took a deep breath. They were back in Louise's room. While the cramped dorm was not the ideal place, the Jedi believed that Louise should be the first to know. After all, she was his master in this bizarre realm.

He closed his eyes and focused on her bed. He extended his hand and, reaching out with the Force, willed the bed to hover in the air.

Galen shifted it a few inches before setting it back on the floor. He relaxed and turned to face Louise.

Her mind was unreadable. But her expression was one of shock.

* * *

Louise was dumbstruck! Her familiar had just used magic… _without the need of a wand!_

"Y-y-you..." she stuttered, as her mind raced. What kind of familiar had she summoned? It had to be a demon!

But… looking at him, Galen did not look like one. He didn't have horns, nor that sickly pallor all demons had.

Was he some kind of Elf? Did she summon one of those profane creatures?

Louise looked over Galen again. No, he didn't have pointed ears.

In that case… just what was he?

"You used Nature Magic!" she blurted, glaring at the Jedi, who laughed at her dark accusation.

"No, I used the Force." he replied, as he moved his left hand. Louise felt a startling sensation as she literally _hovered_ over to her bed.

"T-the force?" she wondered aloud as Galen leaned back in a nearby chair.

"Think of the Force like your magic: it's an energy that binds the universe together. It's produced by all living things, and can guide those sensitive to it, as well as obey their commands."

Louise mulled over this.

"You talk as if this Force is alive."

"In many ways, it is."

"But even if you can move things without a wand, Guiche is an Earth Mage, and can create golems that will kill you easily."

"Jedi Master Kazdan Paratus created titans out of scrap using the Force. He died by my hand," Galen countered, as Louise stared in confusion at the title.

"Jedi?" she asked.

"It's an order of Force users. Think of them as highly trained magicians."

Louise nodded.

"But Guiche will try to kill you."

Galen smirked.

"Let him try. I'm more concerned about killing him on accident. I can do much more than just move things."

Louise frowned.

"I don't think it's a good idea to use your Force in the duel. It's too similar to Nature magic, which is a profane and evil use of magic. Your ability to use a kind of magic without a wand reinforces this."

Galen nodded.

"And, by extension of being your familiar, this would also reflect badly upon you."

"As if I didn't have enough trouble with being unable to use magic." Louise replied.

The Jedi contemplated her comment.

"Is… this why you're called the 'Zero'?" he asked.

The noble looked away in anger, before sighing in defeat.

"… yes. I can't use magic worth a damn. Go ahead, make fun of me!" she demanded, practically screaming at the man as he backed away. "Everyone else has at this point!"

"Calm down, there's nothing wrong with you," Galen reassured her, awkwardly putting his hands on her shoulders. "You're different. There may be a chance, but..." his voice trailed off.

Louise snapped her head up.

"But what?" she demanded, though less forcefully than she had before.

"I'll tell you after I deal with Guiche."

"You mean, after _we_ deal with Guiche," Louise corrected. "Like it or not, I'm responsible for whatever happens to you after that duel. I have as much of a stake in this as you do. A noble not caring for her familiar can't really call herself a noble at all."

Galen smiled, as a thought crossed his mind.

"In that case, could I borrow your wand?"

Louise shook her head angrily.

"No! Not only is a wand the symbol of a mage, but you using it against Guiche could cause a number of problems for the both of us. It's just a bad idea."

"Then where I can get a weapon, such as a sword?"

Louise paused in thought.

"The one I know about is too far away to visit before the duel, but..." she brightened, "I know how we can get one!"

* * *

Louise was amazed at how many people had gathered for the duel. Every second-year student was present to watch what they had believed to be a one-sided duel.

The noble snickered to herself. From what Galen had told her, this was going to be one-sided, but not in the way everyone's expecting.

She and Galen approached Guiche, who arrogantly smiled at them.

"I respect you for actually showing up," he commented. He turned to Louise. "I'm surprised you aren't trying to keep your familiar from fighting me."

Louise's face darkened.

"I want to make sure this fight is fair. My peasant familiar doesn't have a weapon of his own." She looked Guiche in the eye and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Unless you're afraid this peasant might actually beat you, you'll give him a way to defend himself."

Guiche twitched, angry at Louise's insinuation that he was _scared_ this mere familiar would win. He waved his rose-wand as a petal fell to the ground in front of Galen. The ground around the petal heaved upwards, forming into a plain double-edged sword.

The Jedi picked up the blade, and swung it around a few times, testing its weight. It wasn't as light or as balanced as a lightsaber, but it would do for this demonstration.

As he settled into position, a feeling of dizziness coupled with blurred vision hit the Jedi. He shook his head, relieved to see the problems vanish as quickly as they had come.

Louise moved close to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you OK?" she asked.

"It's… nothing." Galen replied, as he swung the sword into his starting position.

Several students made comments about his unorthodox, backhanded method of carrying the sword. Some even laughed that he didn't even know how to use a sword properly.

Galen smiled, as he felt Louise's concern. It quickly vanished as the girl prepared for the duel.

Guiche summoned a brass golem to fight. The apprentice braced himself for the opponent's attack.

Galen countered the pike with his sword, moving just in time to avoid a punch by the Valkyrie. He quickly shifted his stance, let his sword drop as he side-stepped the golem. The construct stumbled forward as Galen swung the saber, cleanly removing both arms as it fell to the ground. A quick stab to the back destroyed the magic holding it together, and the golem crumbled into dust.

Galen took a deep breath as he began to feel dizzy again. He forced himself to hang on as he turned to encounter three more golems.

The Jedi noted that Guiche was playing more cautiously now, and had to deflect a blow from one side while the other would try to attack from a different end. The third one would occasionally attempt a strike, but would frequently hit air as the apprentice dodged what attacks he couldn't block.

Eventually, Galen managed to get two of the golems to destroy each other by leaping as they both went in for a pincer attack. He landed on the third, before performing a somersault, cleaving it in two from the waist-up.

Guiche panicked at the familiar's skill, and summoned seven golems to eliminate the peasant.

Galen smiled. This was the most fun he ever had and made a note to ask Guiche for recreational training later.

Even Louise, as the duel dragged on, changed from being worried about her familiar, to being overwhelmed with excitement at seeing how easily Galen destroyed the golems.

Several students, who had initially just showed up to see the peasant get punished, began to cheer him on.

"Let's go, Zero's Familiar!" One called out.

While Louise felt elated at the cheering, she also felt jealous at Galen. After all, her familiar was upstaging her. He could do magic while she couldn't, he could fight, and she was certain that he was smarter than her, too. Familiars aren't supposed to be better than their masters…

Galen swung his sword, infusing a bit of the Force into the blade, more out of habit than necessity. The blade made contact with one of the golems, and the Force-enhanced strike sent the construct into orbit.

Everyone stood in shock as a loud crack sounded in the courtyard, and the top half of the sword shattered.

Galen winced. He had put a little too much power into that blade. Oops.

Louise gaped in awe. She had guessed that Galen's plan with her wand was to make it look like he could use magic, but she didn't think he could actually _infuse_ the Force into it. She contemplated her own attempts at spells. They had burst like that, but, luckily, didn't send anything into orbit. As far as she knew. Could she possibly…

She looked at the duel. Galen had destroyed the other golems using half of the sword still intact. Their pieces littered the battlefield as he approached Guiche.

The mage dropped a petal, creating another golem. Galen slashed it to ribbons before it could even move. He stood before Guiche, the broken blade inches from his throat.

"I… I-I g-give up!" Guiche declared, throwing down his wand.

To his shock, and everyone's, Galen lifted him up by his collar.

"You said this duel was to the death!" the apprentice hissed, as Guiche began to quake, the fear pouring off of him like sweat. Galen's eyes glowed with buried malice and hatred, like he could tear the kid apart just by looking at him.

"P-please! Don't kill me!" he blubbered, as he felt himself thrown roughly to the ground. He braced as Galen raised the broken sword, death and bloodshed on his mind.

THWACK!

Guiche blinked. He was still alive… Soiled, but alive…

He suddenly felt Galen's hot breath upon his ear.

"I. Let. You. Live." Was all he said, as he stood up, ignoring the shocked exclamations of the other students, and walked right over to Louise.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't fun. Reminds me of PROXY," The apprentice commented as he felt another wave of dizziness hit him.

He stumbled to the side as Louise tried to catch him in vain. He let out a groan, and fell to the ground unconscious.

"W-what's wrong?" Louise shouted as she tried to shake her familiar awake.

As soon as the noble touched him, everything went black for her, too.

* * *

Louise was in a strange throne room made of some type of black metal. Above, large windows showed an endless night sky. Occasionally, green pulsating beams would cycle on and off, converging at some place the noble couldn't quite see.

In front of her, a repulsive, old man laid on the ground, breathing heavily as his black cloak hid most of his body. When Louise could see was sickly and twisted, as if the man had been plagued by some disease that corrupted his entire body.

But his eyes…

Those evil, piercing, yellow eyes glaring with malice upon her.

"You were destined to destroy me..." he croaked

She felt her anger rising. This man had caused her so much pain…

"Do it. Give in to your hatred."

She drew her lightsaber It certainly seemed like a good idea. Killing him would solve so many problems…

Suddenly, Louise felt a pair of hands on her shoulder. A rough, but kind, voice echoed in her mind.

"He is beaten, let it go."

The noble scowled.

"It's a trick!" she shouted, "He's stronger than you know, and he deserves to die for what he's done to me."

"Maybe so," the voice replied, "but if you strike him down in anger, you'll be right back where you began."

Louise took a deep breath. He was right.

"Get Bail and the others out of here," she ordered, deactivating her lightsaber, "I'll be right behind you."

As the general moved away, the Emperor on the ground suddenly stood up, his anger eclipsing anything the noble had ever felt before. A fierce storm of lightning exploded from his hands, throwing the general several feet.

Without hesitating, Louise jumped in the way, and began to absorb the onslaught of electricity.

"Go… Hurry!" she gasped, "Protect the senators!"

Louise focused her entire being on absorbing the Emperor's attack. The pain was agonizing. It was like having Halkeginia's sun burning inside of her. Every molecule in her body stung. She could barely handle the ferocity as she realized she didn't have to.

She could turn that power against the Emperor.

Gathering every last joule of willpower left, Louise focused on creating an explosion. The biggest one she could muster.

She lost consciousness as the Force erupted all around her, vaporizing the noble's body instantly.

* * *

Louise snapped to consciousness as Siesta waved some smellingsalts in front of her. She immediately jumped to her feet.

It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, as Guiche was still reeling from his defeat.

"Help me move Galen to my room!" she ordered Guiche, as she turned to Siesta.

"Go to Villemont's Elixir Shop and get me the strongest healing potion they have. I don't care about price. Just get it!" she shouted as the maid nodded, running off to get the needed item.

With Guiche's help, Louise moved the apprentice up to her room.

She wasn't sure what had happened when she touched him, but Louise suddenly understood a bit about Galen's world.

He had been in some kind of throne room, fighting against an Emperor. He sacrificed himself to hold off the Emperor's attack, but was saved at the last second when she summoned him.

Even in his injured state, that idiot still fought against Guiche.

Louise shook her head. What if Galen didn't realize he was still badly injured. He just got zapped by lightning, for Brimir's sake! Did her familiar really think he could just walk away from that?

After Guiche laid Galen down in her bed and left, Louise started to peel off her familiar's tunic to get a better view of the injury. She was horrified to see his skin covered with scars of varying shapes, sizes, and depth. His skin looked like a bizarre patchwork of cuts, scrapes, and bruises in various states of healing.

She puzzled over what kind of damage caused some of these injuries, as her eyes fell on one just above his navel. It was larger than the others and looked like he had been impaled by something.

Curious, Louise rolled her familiar over, noticing that a matching scar rested on his back. She wondered what had happened to cause such a gash. More importantly, how did he walk away from that kind of injury. Even the most skilled healers wouldn't be able to keep him alive, much less let him walk.

She laid Galen back down as she felt his forehead. It was hot to the touch. A fever.

Louise dipped a cloth in a pitcher of water before placing it upon Galen's head. She stared at the pitcher across the room for several minutes.

She couldn't use spells, but deep down, she felt that she could, it's just that something wasn't quite right…

Louise contemplated what happened during the duel. The explosion from when Galen channeled the Force into the sword was remarkably similar to hers. Maybe she had the same problem?

The noble glanced at her wand. There was only one way to find out…

Louise took a deep breath. Galen didn't seem to use any words to call upon his Force. Did it just tap into his will directly?

She closed her eyes and focused on the pitcher in her mind. Basic magic training required a spell to be recited, along with the vision of what you wanted done. Louise simply bypassed the words and focused on what she wanted to try: make the pitcher float. It was a simple spell, really. Even children could cast this.

Louise stretched her hand out, imaging that she was reaching out to lift the pitcher. She felt something shift, and opened her eyes.

To her amazement, the pitcher floated several inches off the table. She bubbled up in excitement as she directed the pitcher to come to her open hand.

' _I'm not longer Louise the Zero!'_ was her last thought before losing consciousness when the pitcher smashed into her face with enough force to knock the noble out of her chair.

* * *

A/N.

So, yeah… Guiche's duel wasn't that exciting, but it did lay some interesting groundwork for later.

Now, a couple of notes:

1\. No, Galen's familiar runes didn't activate at this duel. There is a reason for that I'll get to later.

2\. Because the Force can easily be mistaken for Nature magic (which is viewed as an abomination to magic) due to the whole "no wands needed" approach, I wanted to introduce it as a way to "nerf" everyday use of Force abilities. Don't worry, we'll get some Galen beating people soon enough.

3\. I wasn't really sure how to introduce the previous element, so I figured having Galen show Louise what he can do in private was the best approach. Remember, Galen still isn't sure about this world.

4\. Galen is weakened here. Remember, Louise summoned him just as he was about to become a Starkiller bomb! So, of course he's going to suffer from injuries from that battle. Namely, calcification, which the healers of Halkeginia might be familiar with (it's basically a side-effect of exposure to intense electrical energy)

5\. There are some elements you need to remember for later. Louise's jealousy is one of them. Her sudden glimpse into Galen's life is another.

6\. I had to add in that last scene as a bit of comic relief. Besides, Louise is going to be bored for a few days as she nurses Galen back to health.

As far as formatting issues go, I'm writing this in Libreoffice, in a left-justified format, with a blank line between each paragraph. Unfortunately, likes to get rid of what it considers "extra" spaces (double spaces, blank lines, tabs), and I'm having trouble finding a way around this. If someone could give me pointers, I'd greatly appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4

Galen groaned. Every bone in his body ached. It was as if someone crashed a Star Destroyer on top of him.

He chastised himself for getting so wrapped up in all this familiar business that he had forgotten about his injuries against the Emperor. Galen had needed time to rest and recover from the side effects of Force Lightning, but had ignored his personal needs as events unfolded.

"Good, you're awake..." Louise said, relief flooding the noble's voice, as she stood up and leaned close into Galen's face. The Jedi noticed that her own face was bruised, with several bandages on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and along her cheeks. Dark circles under the noble's eyes showed that she had not gotten much sleep for the past few days.

"No fever… that's a relief..." she added, withdrawing her hand from the apprentice's forehead. "You really should be more careful the next time you decide to absorb lightning like that! I'm not so sure I'll be able to save you next time…"

Galed stared in amazement.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

Louise shook her head, puzzled.

"I… don't know. When you passed out, I reached out to grab you, and…" she explained the strange vision she experienced.

The Jedi looked as puzzled as the noble.

"I've never heard of such a thing happening before… Somehow, you experienced my last memory on board the Death Star..." he explained.

"I've heard of familiars developing special powers once they've been contracted, such as a cat learning to speak upon becoming a familiar," Louise proposed as the reason.

Galen felt extremely uncomfortable not only at the idea that Louise had glimpsed at his memory, but also at the possibility that being a familiar would grant him further powers. So, he decided to change the subject.

"What happened to you? You look like you got into a fight with a mynock and lost."

Louise started. She hadn't expected the abrupt shift in focus.

"W-w-well, if you must know..." she began as Galen pulled one of the bandages away. Louise hissed in pain as the adhesive peeled away from her skin. The noble indicated the collection of shattered pottery and dented walls.

"I was bored while waiting you to heal, so I tried the same Force magic you did and, well..."

Galen smirked.

"You couldn't quite control it."

Louise nodded. The Jedi sighed.

"This is what I wanted to talk to you about after the duel with Guiche. You're unable to use magic, yet you managed to summon me here. I felt something unusual about you when we first met, and now the vision you experienced along with your experiments confirms it. I'm certain that you're strong with the Force."

Galen's face darkened as the noble stared in awe.

"I sense a lot of anger and resentment in you, Louise. You're proud of your status, yet you're afraid that you cannot live up to your family's expectations. You yearn to prove your strength as a noble to your peers. These are highly dangerous emotions you possess. Left unchecked, you could wind up following a very dark side of the Force."

While she didn't know what this "dark side" was, something about the way Galen phrased it disturbed Louise. It was as if he was speaking about some evil, deeply rooted in her own mind.

"And yet, even in your anger, light still shines through. You're willing to learn, even if can't use the knowledge you're given. You care deeply for your friends and family, in spite of their disappointment. You're… committed to your duty as a noble to protect those lower than you. Hold to your ideals and, no matter how dark the path, you will find light."

Galen lifted his face to Louise, his gaze matching hers.

"I will train you to control your power, but it won't be easy. You will constantly struggle against your bitter feelings. You may even be tempted to give into them. It will seem like such an easy solution, but the results of your actions will never pan out like you expect."

It seemed to the noble that the Jedi was speaking from personal experience.

"You need to learn control. Otherwise, you could wind up killing someone by accident."

He saw the skepticism in Louise's face.

"So I need to make sure that I don't make any rash decisions. That sounds easy enough."

Galen shook his head.

"No, it's not that simple. When you experienced my memory with the Emperor, do you remember anything about him? What did he feel like?"

"He felt…" Louise tried to find the right words. The Emperor's fury was so powerful, so overwhelming that it felt like it transcended simple definition.

"Like evil incarnate." She didn't think it was an accurate description, but it was the closest she could articulate.

"It's really hard to put into words," Louise explained, "Like trying to describe a black hole."

The noble frowned. She vaguely recalled that a black hole was a dark void that sucked in everything around it, growing larger in the process. It brought death and destruction to the galaxy. But, where had she heard it…

Galen stared at Louise, puzzled.

"It seems that you did more than experience a memory…" he commented before getting back to his point.

"Your emotions will impact your control with the Force. Without proper training, it's very easy to accidentally break someone's neck in a fit of anger by just thinking about it."

Louise stared in disbelief. The Force couldn't be that strong. Could it?

The Jedi sensed her thoughts.

"Think about when you've cast magic before. Before your spells backfired, were you angry, frustrated, or even hurt?"

The noble started to reply no, but stopped to think about it. Last time, in front of everyone, she recalled Kirche making a snide comment about her lack of magical talent. Did her anger in that moment really cause her spell to backfire? Or, rather, did her emotions amplify the explosion?

"You're going to endure trials far more treacherous than your peers. To wield the Force isn't a right, but a responsibility. Your connection should be treated as a gift. Kota taught me that," Galen noted.

The noble took a deep breath, as she made her decision. What did she have to lose? She didn't have any magical element, but she possessed this Force. Perhaps Galen could teach her where the tutors, instructors, and even her own family had failed.

It was worth a shot. She stared directly into Galen's eyes, hers burning with determination.

"I've spent all these years believing that I couldn't use magic, and now I just happen to summon a familiar that can teach me? Of course, I want to learn! These trials can't possibly be as bad as the humiliation I've been forced to endure!"

Galen smiled, as he pulled himself from the comfortable bed.

"You have a drive to learn, that's good. But, there are things you will learn with the Force, truths that you may not be ready to accept. Your understanding will change. Not just of the world, but of people, as well."

Louise wasn't quite sure how to interpret that, but the noble figured she'd learn eventually. A yawn escaped her delicate lips, as Galen gently moved Louise to the bed.

"Before we can start anything, I want you to get some rest. We'll need your mind at full strength to handle what's to come." The Jedi ordered, as Louise looked at him in curiosity while stifling another yawn.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm going to search for a place where we can practice, away from prying eyes. If our powers can be mistaken for this Nature Magic and will be persecuted as you claim, then we'll need to be careful who we reveal this information to."

"Mmm..." Louise muttered, as she sleepily replied, "The Academy is surrounded on three sides by dense forest. There's bound to be a clearing somewhere." She yawned, "If all else fails, you could talk with Colbert. I think we can trust him..." As her voice trailed off, Louise began quietly snoring. She didn't even make it under her blankets.

"Huh..." Galen said to himself, gently pulling the sheets over the exhausted noble, "Wish I could sleep that quickly."

* * *

"This will do," Galen said as he observed the clearing.

It was roughly a mile from the Academy, covered by dense forest on all sides. The tree canopy provided a cover from aerial observation, yet it still allowed enough light through to be usable well into the evening.

A creek flowed through one corner, providing a soothing sound perfect for calming the mind. The grass, he noted, was quite dense around it, which made that area the perfect spot for meditation.

The clearing was spacious enough to allow for physical training, such as lightsaber combat. That was assuming, of course, that it would even be _possible_ to construct lightsabers on this world. Likely, they would be using simple blades, and focusing more on training in the Force.

The Jedi moved through the small meadow, before coming to a stop. Something else was here…

He turned, but could find nothing. It had an… unnatural feeling about it that Galen couldn't quite put into words.

It had felt like a droid, but that was ridiculous! This world hasn't been in contact with the greater galaxy. It was impossible… wasn't it?

After all, Galen reasoned, if the Empire was aware of this world, the Emperor would have destroyed the nobles. Sidious didn't take kindly to others with abilities like his. At least, those he couldn't control.

Then again, he thought, this place did have golems, which are like droids, but, even then, their presence in the Force was stronger than this…

The Jedi shook his head, and turned towards the clearing again.

"Yes, this will do just fine," he said, focusing himself back on training Louise.

There was still a lot he needed to do before he could begin her training. Since Louise was accustomed to using a focusing tool like a wand, it made sense that she would learn to channel the Force first through a similar object, before removing it completely. In addition to that, if they were discovered, it wouldn't appear to be like Nature Magic, and could possibly be passed off as special magic training. Or something like that. Galen now regretted turning down Kota's offer to teach him the Mind Trick. Influencing nobles to believe that a wand was used when there wasn't one would have been quite helpful.

Galen noted that he would therefore need to find a durable tool for Louise to use. The fact that the sword he used during his duel with Guiche shattered after he infused a little bit of the Force into it proved to the Jedi that he would need something quite strong to handle their abilities. Perhaps he could talk to Louise in finding many swords for training. Then he could focus on training her in lightsaber combat as well as Force techniques.

Galen looked up at the sky. The sun was already setting. He had spent most of the day finding this place, circling out from the academy. Louise would be worried… if she was even awake. He could worry about weapons and tools later. For now, he needed to check on his future apprentice.

* * *

Louse sat at her desk, staring at her wand, like she had several times before while tending her unconscious familiar.

The noble had learned early on that pottery wasn't an appropriate choice. For one thing, it shattered too easily. Secondly, she though as she adjusted the bandages, it was dangerous to have those sharp fragments flying about.

Another bandage fell off, as Louise checked her face in the mirror. There wasn't even a mark indicating a gash had ever existed. She was grateful that she could heal quickly, though how, or why, was beyond her. Initially, the noble had attributed it to magic, as a way for mages to cope with unexpected spell backfires, like she knew all too well.

Then again… she did overhear one of her teachers commenting on how quickly Louise had recovered from one of her explosions. Was this some unique trait of hers? Or was it this Force?

Louise resumed focusing on her wand. She visualized what she wanted to do and spread her hands to either side of the wand, high enough to not make contact.

She furrowed her brow, willing the wand to move, as the stick shuddered to life. Louise focused more strongly on making the wand move to her hand, as it began to float upwards.

"You shouldn't be doing that alone until you become more aware of your surroundings."

Louise jumped from her seat, sending the wand clattering to the floor as she jerked her head towards the voice, to see Galen standing there, arms crossed.

"Well, how can I learn unless I keep practicing?" Louise fired back, embarrassed.

Galen smirked in amusement.

"Patience, Louise. I found a clearing for us to begin training tomorrow morning."

The noble frowned, obviously disappointed.

"Then why did you have me sleep for so long today? Now my rest tonight will be completely skewed."

"Your initial rest was to prepare your mind. You've pushed yourself too hard while I was unconscious and wound up getting hurt. You needed a chance to clear your thoughts."

Galen raised his hand, drawing the curtains. The dull glow of the lamp cast deep shadows in the small room.

"Now then, if you're so anxious to begin, we can start the first exercise tonight, right here. You are to accept what I tell you without question. Do you understand, my apprentice?"

Louise bristled at the title. The nerve of her familiar, calling her the apprentice! She was the master, not him!

Although, the noble noted that while she was only his master in the sense of a familiar, Louise was the apprentice to this master in the Force. An ironic reversal of roles that no doubt proved that Brimir had a terrible sense of humor for the poor girl.

But what was the alternative? To continue to be Louise the Zero, with no magical talent? This was finally the chance she wanted. This was her opportunity to prove that she was just as powerful as any member of House Valliere. This was her hope to break out from under her mother's shadow and establish her name as more than just "Karin the Heavy Wind's daughter"

"I understand…" she began, kneeling down to Galen, as if by instinct. "My master."

As the words left her mouth, Louise felt a surge course through her veins. She then knew: this was only the beginning of her new journey.

* * *

A/N: So, I did quite a bit of editing on this chapter. I think the discovery of Louise's Force Sensitivity is a bit jarring, but I wanted to buck the formula of "waiting forever to discover Louise's power".

Consequently, this will have a profound effect on the story. It will be small at first, but trust me, there are going to be large-scale changes coming to Halkeginia. Not immediately, but soon. Remember, there's an entire Galactic Empire out there. This world will be found eventually. But will Louise and her friends be ready when the time comes?

I have future ideas that I plan to expand upon as time goes on, but I hope you enjoy the bitter irony of the noble master becoming a Jedi apprentice, to compliment the Jedi 'master' becoming a noble familiar.

Also, I'm going to stick with the "Nature Magic = bad" reasoning to hobble our duo's Force abilities. It would be too boring to just see easy fights:

Guiche: Zapped by Force Lightning

Mott: Zapped by Force Lightning

Fouquet: Zapped by Force Lightning

Wardes: Zapped by Force Lightning

Cromwell: Zapped by Force Lightning

All of Albion: Zapped by Force Storm

Karin Valliere: Zapped by… you get the idea.

As a note, I might eventually work on a series of one-shots where I satisfy your bloodlust by reimaging certain scenes with Lord Starkiller (AKA Sith Stalker, the "dark side" Galen Marek) as the familiar.

The only problem I see is that Starkiller would have just flat out killed Louise. His hatred of being little more than a servant would push him to murder her. Or at least keep her around and pretend to be a slave until she was no longer useful (pretty much immediately).

Oh, and everyone on the above list? Ashes. Along with half of Tristain. Yeah, Dark Starkiller doesn't play the subtle game.

When I was originally making this story, I had contemplated making the main character be the dark side Starkiller. If I had gone through with it, this story would be written much differently. I think the Sith would have seen Louise as a chance at redemption, to right the wrongs he had committed in the past. He would see the noble as a chain, but one needed to keep Starkiller from completely losing himself to the Dark Side. He would still be absolutely merciless, killing Guiche by snapping his neck, but when fighting against Louise's mother, he may hold back at her behest.

Also, Starkiller in this story wouldn't have been so quick to train Louise. To this version, the Force was nothing but a source of pain and torment for the wielder. He wouldn't wish this upon the innocent noble. That would be why he would refuse to train the girl. Too many had perished by his hand to let another bear his unholy burden.

Yeah, I didn't think I could do such a character justice, because I just don't have the right mentality to empathize with a tormented soul like his.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will truly begin Louise's path into the Force.


End file.
